Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-10-12
JSIA MAINE. WEDNESDAY MORNING. OCTOBER L. 1887.
of the railroad officials, began to arrive, there

Of the railroad officials, began to arrive, there
was little TO indicate the calsmity.
All the dead bodies had been carefully re.
moved from sight, and only two OF the wound
ed were still in the village. The local EN-
ployes we're deaf and dumb.
! The coroner was obliged to go TO Hunting
ton, owe: fifty miles, to obtain statements of
witnesses. The villagers are wholly at sea
regarding the extent of the disaster. About
the only person willing to tell the details was
DR.. W. c. Mckee. He reached the wreck
shortly after one o'clock in the morning and
/ Immediately began TO give his services to the
wounded, those badly hurt. When the crash
came he says they must have had little chance
for their lives so quickly had the cars taken
| fire and so thorough was the work of the
| flames. As an illustration the doctor said
that probably not a soul would have been
aware of tie all but total wiping out of the
Miller family of six, had not their bov been
saved
| DR.. Mckee stated that only nine bodies
have been recovered and they we're so badly
charred as to be almost beyond recognition,
the most left of any being a blackened trunk
and in some cases little beyond few hand
fuls of ashes. The nine were, the Miller
family of Dundee, father, mother two broth
ers, girl, IA year old boy Herman who will
probably die, also DR.. Perry of North Judson,
Ind, wife, daughter aged IL, and young
Irish lady.
Superintendent Parsons of the Chicago &
| Atlantic railroad was seen in the afternoon
goomily pacing the station platform. He
was extremely taciturn and very sure that
no more bodies would be found, only those of
the nine persons killed He declared that
there were not more than eleven or twelve
hurt and none seriously. He admitted that
no fagmsn was cent back from the passenger
train when the stop was made. He thought
the accident would have been very ordinary
had not the stove in the sleeper upset. That
caused the destruction of the sleeper, two
coaches and the baggage car, and in the main
was doubtless the cause of the great loss of
life.
Among the wounded was Joseph McCool
of Boston, a bartender. His injuries are in
ternal and his recovery is possible. He says ::
81 was IN the passenger coach next to the
last car in the train just before midnight
l went into the smoker just ahead and chatted
for an hour. | came back to the coach with
a young man who sat with me. That's the
last | ever expect to see of the poor fellow.
just as | stretceed myself togo TO sleep and
before l could close my eyes, came an awful
crash. | could feel myself being thrown
violently toward the top of the car and then
BECAME insensible. On my way up he real
ized that all was confusion: canes, valiser,
rods and iron lamp, were in the air about me
| must have regained consciousness in very
short time when | awoke all was darkness
in the car. Horrible shrieks and piercing
walls of agony almost deafened my ears. In
the end of tie car further from me a stove
was overturned and the flames were just
starting to spread. The flames leaped up the
sides in less time than can tell it. The gas
was burning the 3whole length of the coach
over our heads. | was wedged in between
the sest.. watched the fire creep upon me,
a terrible sight. In the end of the coach
near the fire could see a lady caught be.
tween the seats The fire slowly crept across
the car She was soon enveloped; then IN
agony she burned before my eyes. just
across from me noticed shortly before the
accident father, wife and daughter. saw
them crushed together and burned. Just as
the flames were blazing foot or two away
from me, a man pulled me into the aisle and
said Come to the window. He must have
mistaken me for some one else. For mo-
ment he looked closely at my face, then
dropped me and hurried through the window
with an exclamation of disappointment. l
painfully crawled after him in safety"